Larger enterprises with, say, 1,000+ employees, can migrate some or all of their IT requirements to one of two types of cloud – private or public. A number of global organizations will set up their own ‘private’ cloud infrastructure allowing them to harness the power of cloud computing yet maintaining complete control over their data and management of the network via the cloud.

Those companies that opt for a ‘public’ cloud infrastructure generally need help from a third party cloud services provider which has the infrastructure, services and expertise to do so (and which these companies do not). In the majority of cases, these are SMBs with limited IT resources and IT budgets that are insufficient to contemplate setting up the resilient and scalable systems required to deliver business-critical systems.

More and more companies are moving to the Cloud nowadays, especially small and medium-sized businesses. Although they are concerned about security, third party access to their data, compatibility issues and so on, the truth of the matter is that the cloud may be the only appropriate option for a small business that is growing but needs an efficient IT infrastructure (without the associated costs or additional investment). In general, the data centres used to host cloud services are far more secure than the cabinets and cupboards used within SMB businesses to house their IT systems.

The market is maturing and provider services are more robust, reliable and secure than ever. Larger companies, specifically independent software vendors (ISVs), understand how the financial and reputational losses associated with data breaches and downtime can be detrimental to a cloud service provider’s business. To compete in the market,, they have to invest substantial amounts of time and money into the application or service they provide to their customers. SMBs should feel confident that cloud service vendors are now doing everything in their power to protect clients’ data, including implementing a layered approach to security with firewalls and other solutions that secure sensitive information and prevent data breaches, and offering the highest levels of redundancy and reliability to ensure clients can access their data 24/7 from any location.

Today’s robust cloud environments are possible thanks to providers being able to invest heavily in the technology required to provide a reliable service, ensure redundancy systems are in place and avail themselves of the best diagnostic tools.

With such a high level of investment in security, reliability and redundancy, as well as fast networks and flexible bandwidth, SMBs can access cloud-based services and applications with greater confidence and ease – anytime, anywhere.